Transformation of Liverpool’s former Royal takes shape
A road through the 24-acre site of the former hospital connecting the new one to Prescot Street – plus a mini-Eden Project garden – form part of a masterplan that would see the land redeveloped into a huge £550m facility to train clinicians and a centre of excellence in health and life sciences research.
University Hospitals of Liverpool Group’s revised masterplan for the site of the former Royal Hospital, drafted by Ellis Williams Architects, sets out how the site could look in the future.
Documents lodged with the application for the road and garden show how the site could be carved up to accommodate the construction of various buildings.
The largest development plot, at the centre of the site, is earmarked for the Health Innovation Liverpool, which could transform the delivery of life sciences research and health service provision in the city and beyond.
Three more development plots fronting Prescot Road are also planned, with one earmarked for an “estates office and energy hub”.
A multi-storey car park, Maggie’s Cancer Centre, and a “plot for clinical expansion” are also proposed.
The proposed mini-Eden Project, which is being worked up with the charity, will provide “a space which promotes wellbeing and nature at the heart of the city” between the old Royal and the new one, according to the project team, which features contractor BAM UK and Ireland.
Other firms involved include BCA Landscape, Sutcliffe, Prime Transport Planning, and Hoare Lea. To learn more, search for reference number 25F/3545 on Liverpool City Council’s planning portal.
BAM, Eden Project, and the NHS trust are collaborating on the scheme. Credit: via Four Agency
Would be wonderful if it all happens and transform the top end of town, furthermore this should give a boost to the upper section of London Rd which is already seeing investment. Of course the missing piece of the jigsaw , as usual, is transport by way of a rail station but the Mayor is in the shadows when it comes to joined up working, he doesn’t seem interested in reopening the Wapping or Waterloo tunnels from Edge Hill.
By Anonymous
Looks great …make sure it happens
By Anonymous
Hope something comes forward sooner rather than later. I think what this shows once again is what a god-awful building the new Royal is though.
By Mike
There are a lot of empty retail spaces in this area – I hope they don’t create more eyesores.
By Stephen W Heathfield
The garden looks pretty, but I’m not sure that I’d describe it as a ‘mini Eden project’, wouldn’t that involve some sort of dome over it?
By Anonymous
Hi Anonymous – Eden Project is actually involved in planning the garden.
By Julia Hatmaker
@Stephen 12.29pm,empty retail spaces, and other premises for that matter, often get tenanted when there is renewed business or employment activity in an area, you only have to look what’s starting to happen near Everton’s stadium.
By Anonymous
This is great news, and would completely change this part of town, which is in great need of investment. LCC and LCR should be pulling out all the stops to help this become a reality and quick. As mentioned its now time this area has a station which people can reach from Moorfields.
By GetItBuilt!
And where is the next rail or tram station? Or will everybody travel by car and increase congestion?
By Urs M.
Who is going to finance the suggested rail stations: as the general public common sense is private capital borrowing to forward-finance infrastructure is Capital Investment asn is dead good; but public capital borrowing to forward-finance infrastructe is Debt and is dead bad. After decades of propaganda you will never get this double-think out of folks heads.
By Anonymous
Please build a car park that can be used by patients attending or visiting . Amazingly the new hospital has very little car parking and none for next door at Clatterbridge either ? What was the plan LCC ?
By Anonymous
There seems to be a consistent theme here, the failures of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram; at the Legacie topping out he stated, “after years of dither and delay under the Tories, we’ve got a Labour government that’s serious about getting Britain building again, and across the Liverpool City Region, we’re ready to play our part”.
However, what chance have you got for a joined-up strategy and delivery, when your leader is as always long on promise and rhetoric, but short on delivery.
I will watch with curious interest, but certainly no holding my breath in anticipation.
By Steve5839
Are there any plans to reroute buses out of town ie14 17 20 21 18 nearer to the hospital and no doubt I have missed some out
By Irene Williams
Suppose it will give the smokers somewhere more scenic to stand instead of in the doorway!
By Bob Dawson
More day dreaming by fantasy Island residents
By Dino
Where’s the social housing great council.
By Anonymous
They are talking about moving the Women’s Hospital in to the Royal their is no room so they would be better building a new one on that site
By Margaret Graham
This all sounds very good, much needed green space and closer parking but unfortunately the hospital has less beds in a growing population of elderly and a sick population. Corridor care is the norm and A&E is like a war zone. The decision to make the hospital smaller was based on the premise that community care would bridge the gap. This simply hasn’t happened, if anything, the situation is getting worse with many nursing homes closing. I think a careful rethink needs to be looked at to address the dire situation of our hospitals. You only have to read the reviews to see the impact of a hospital that does simply not have enough beds. The next pandemic is not a matter of if but when and we have no slack in the service. Please think very carefully how you use this precious, possible, hospital expansion space.
By Linda Southward
So pleased to see the plan for a lovrly garden area, which is well needed as originally there was a garden one could sit and have ones lunch.
By Theresa Hill
Central Liverpool isn’t exactly short of development sites, even cleared ones. This one needs to be protected at least until the huge shortcomings with the new Royal can be addressed.
This will mean more land being needed because the heavily value-engineered yet still tricksy design isn’t flexible, so it gets us into building a whole new wing territory. The same useless NHS bosses seem now to have botched the co-location of the Women’s Hospital even though it won’t go away so land will probably still be needed for that.
The alternative will be moving more services to Aintree which would be a rare win for North Liverpool but won’t suit a lot of people even if there is already enough parking there (more of which is actually needed at the Royal because hospitals have particular needs that green travel plans never seem to get).
By Royal Knockout
Good to know that money is being injected into the area and not being left to deteriorate as is a lot of land and buildings around Liverpool
By Yvonne O'Connor
Liverpool needs this to gather pace and become a reality LCC need to move “heaven and earth” to make it real.
By Anonymous
We desperately need more hospital beds. That should be the priority
By Anonymous
The new royal is too small and not enough beds and closing hospices like Marie Curie doesn’t help.
By Stuart
Of course this proposed new thoroughfare must have cycle lanes collected to all the other cycle lanes created by the numbskulls in the surrounding areas of local council entities in the greater Merseyside of the encompassed realm of our supreme Mayor of Liverpool. Poppycock ond Bah-humbug
By Anonymous
What are the plans for corridor care & Social care no beds but nice gardens don’t make sense another failure LCC & the Mayor of this city
By Anonymous
Hl why don’t they build an out building with about 80 beds.patients bed blocking can be placed there.so could patients arriving by ambulance ending corridor care once and for all. I have e. Mailed sandra jones from PALS 3 times with this suggestion but l have not had a reply. Do they want to end corridor care ?
By Anonymous